INSTRUMENTS AND POLICY OF CONSUMER PROTECTION AS THE OBJECT OF THE PROTECTION OF FREE MARKET COMPETITION

Zaštita potrošača dugo vremena u Republici Hrvatskoj nije bila regulirana objedinjenim zakonom, već su njezini izvori bili sadržani u različitim propisima, pa je tako segmentarno određenje zaštite potrošača najvećim dijelom bilo zasnovano na odredbama Zakona o obveznim odnosima (ZOO). No, odredbe ZOO ne razlikuju kategoriju potrošača od poduzetnika, već uređuju obveznopravne odnose između ravnopravnih stranaka. Nedostatak takvog uređenja uglavnom se sastojao u tome što se zaštita svake od ugovornih stranaka u okvirima sustava koji se uređuje građanskim zakonima ustanovljuje na načelima njihove jednakosti. Ipak, potrošači nisu kategorija koja po svojim notornim odrednicama predstavlja presumpciju jednakosti. Naime, jedno je od zajedničkih obilježja modernih demokratskih država i zaštita ekonomski slabije strane u trgovinskim odnosima, što je rezultiralo razvitkom pravne doktrine u dva međusobno interferirajuća smjera: propisima o zaštiti potrošača, kojima se štite potrošači kao naturalne osobe koje kupuju na tržištu robe i usluge i propisima o zaštiti tržišnog natjecanja, odnosno antitrustovnom legislativom. Hrvatska je preuzela zakonodavna rješenja EZ – acquis communautaire u području zaštite potrošača ponajprije na osnovi odredbe članka 153. Ugovora o EZ i čl. 74. Sporazuma o stabilizaciji i pridruživanju s EU. Zasnovano na iznesenim postulatima usvojen je Zakon o zaštiti potrošača Republike Hrvatske, a jedan je od daljih oblika zaštite potrošača inkorporiran u instrumente prava i politike konkurencije u Zakonu o zaštiti tržišnog natjecanja, u institutima sporazuma poduzetnika, koncentracija i zabrane zlouporaba monopolističkog i vladajućeg položaja.The consumer protection in the Republic of Croatia was not regulated under the sole code, while the rules that provided for protection of consumers were contained mainly within the General Civil Code. However, the rules of the Civil Code did not distinguish the consumers as a category per se, and rather regulated the relationships in trade of goods and services or other civil aspects among the equal parties, no matter whether entrepreneurs or citizens. While the consumers did not represent the category that should be treated equal in trade based relationships, because one of the common characteristics of the modern democratic states is the protection of economically weaker part in trade relationships. That has resulted in developments in the legal doctrine in two interacting directions: rules on protection of consumers, by which consumers are protected as natural persons who purchase in the market of goods and services, and rules on protection of market competition – the antitrust legislation. The Republic of Croatia has enacted the solutions coming out from the EC acquis communautaire, which prescribe the protection of consumers in the Article 153 of the EC Treaty. Furthermore, the legal ground is contained also in the Article 74 of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the EC and the Republic of Croatia, based of which postulates was enacted the Law on Protection of Consumers, while another important aspect of the protection of consumers was incorporated in the Law on Protection of Market Competition. This is clearly visible through the institutes of evaluation of the agreements among undertakings, regulation of concentration, and the banning of the abuses of monopolizations on the Croatian market